Derek Smith suffered an upper body injury in the second period of Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild and was deemed unable to play in Dallas. The Flames recalled Heat blueliner Clay Wilson to fill the void on the backend and the 28 year-old suited for his third game with the Flames this year on Sunday afternoon.

Wilson played 13:21 and had two shots on net. He was a minus-one.

Smith is day-to-day and may be available on Monday when the Stars come to town.

SLOW START TO THE EARLY GAME

The Flames were on their heels as soon as the puck dropped and they paid for their slow start as the Stars were able to beat Miikka Kiprusoff twice in the first half of the period.

Jamie Benn's wraparound tally was the result of a missed defensive assignment while Michael Ryder's marker came after Blair Jones was unable to corral him in the faceoff circle.

The second Stars goal seemed to give the Flames a jolt of energy and by the end of the frame, they had cut Dallas' lead in half thanks to Mike Cammalleri's 16th goal of the season. It came after Anton Babchuk faked a shot and then dished off to the forward. It was Babchuk's second point in as many games and Cammalleri's fourth point in his last four games.

SCRAPPY END OF TO THE SECOND

Emotions were running at a high near the end of the second period. Sheldon Souray, who hasn't fared well in scraps with Jarome Iginla, got in the captain's face while Mark Giordano was involved in a shoving match with Mike Ribeiro and Eric Nystrom. Nystrom escaped without a penalty but the other three were dealt roughing minors for the altercations.

Cammalleri and Adam Burish got chippy right as the stanza concluded. Cammalleri walked away with a slashing call while Burish was nabbed for cross-checking.

The Flames had jump all period, outshooting the Stars 14-6, but couldn't find a way to beat Kari Lehtonen.

NO FINISH

The Flames had plenty of chances after their slow start but they just couldn't find ways to capitalize on those opportunities. They also couldn't find a way to get their power play to work, going 0-for-four with the man advantage. The Stars were able to finish off their chances, adding a third goal at 16:27 and an empty-netter at 18:32.

The Stars also were very willing to throw themselves in front of pucks, blocking 13 of the Flames shots.

WHAT THE WEST LOOKS LIKE

With the loss, the Flames stay stuck in 11th place with Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose and Colorado all in action tonight.

As of Sunday afternoon, Dallas jumps into 3rd place with 87 points while Los Angeles sits in 7th with 86 points. Phoenix sits in the final playoff spot with 86 points. Colorado is in 9th with 85 points. San Jose resides in 10th with 84 points, a single point ahead of the Flames.